With the New England Patriots on their bye week, attention has turned to quarterback Drake Maye’s standout performances during the 2025 NFL season. In his second year, Maye is currently considered a leading candidate for the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
Maye has led the Patriots to an 11-2 record, which is the best in the NFL at this point in the season. He tops several statistical categories, including completion percentage (71.5%), passing yards (3,412), and passer rating (111.9). Advanced statistics also place him ahead of other quarterbacks; he leads in total expected points added (+101.1) and completion percentage over expectation (+8.2%).
Pro Football Focus ranks Maye tied for third with 22 big-time throws this season, behind only Matthew Stafford of the Rams and Sam Darnold of the Seahawks. Big-time throws are defined as high-difficulty passes that stand out on film. Despite taking risks downfield—averaging 9.2 air yards per attempt, fifth-most in the league—Maye maintains a low turnover-worthy play rate at 2.6%, ranking seventh-best among quarterbacks.
Here are some of Maye’s most notable plays from his first 13 games:
1. In Week 5 against Buffalo, Maye completed a challenging off-platform pass to Stefon Diggs for a gain of 32 yards under heavy pressure.
Maye commented: “I probably should have stayed in the pocket. They had some good pockets. They were diving the edges in and keeping the linebackers kind of spying on me… Just trying to make something happen, and the guys did a great job staying alive.”
2. Against Cincinnati in Week 12, Maye found DeMario Douglas for a 37-yard seam route from deep inside his own territory.
Douglas said: “I had a middle-read [route], you know, saw the middle open up… Threw it up right there to where I can catch it… It was good ball placement.”
3. Facing Tampa Bay in Week 10, Maye connected with Mack Hollins on a deep throw covering 54 yards—the furthest by air distance for him this season.
Additionally from that game, Maye threw a pressured touchdown pass to Kyle Williams for 72 yards.
4. Another key moment came late against Buffalo when Maye delivered a precise “honey-hole” shot to Kayshon Boutte for 19 yards during his first game-winning drive.
Maye stated: “I was just trusting the guys around me… I’m not going to lose that mindset. I’m going to keep that mindset my whole career.”
5. In Week 2 versus Miami, Maye avoided pressure before hitting Rhamondre Stevenson on a wheel route for a gain of 55 yards.
Maye explained: “We throw those kinds of routes all the time in practice… I thought I overthrew it at first, and [Stevenson] made a great play.”
Several other completions—including connections with Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Hunter Henry—were also highlighted as honorable mentions.
The article notes that these opinions belong solely to its writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the New England Patriots organization.
